Information processing device, information processing method, and system that determines a product and a consumption based on information relating to a fluctuation of a power

ABSTRACT

An information processing device has a control unit that acquires information relating to a fluctuation of power consumed by an electrical product operating around a user, and that estimates a product consumed by the user and a consumption quantity of the product based on the information relating to the fluctuation in the power.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2020-178377 filed on Oct. 23, 2020, incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing method, and a system.

2. Description of Related Art

A technique for supporting periodical purchase of goods, such as dailynecessities, is known. For example, Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 2016-224650 (JP 2016-224650 A) discloses asystem that executes a process of ordering a product related to a beacondevice, in which the system is triggered by pressing an order buttonprovided for the beacon device. Installation of the beacon devicedescribed in JP 2016-224650 A in the vicinity of a place where productsare stored, such as a refrigerator or a washroom, makes it possible toorder products with a simple operation.

SUMMARY

On the other hand, in the prior art, there is room for improvement inthat a user has to manage the inventory of the products and place anorder by the user. An object of the present disclosure is to estimate aconsumption quantity of the product.

An aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing deviceincluding a control unit that executes: acquiring information relatingto a fluctuation of power consumed in an electrical product operatedaround a user; and estimating a product consumed by the user and aconsumption quantity of the product based on the information relating tothe fluctuation of the power.

An aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method,in which the computer executes: acquiring information relating to afluctuation of power consumed by an electrical product operated around auser; and estimating a product consumed by the user and a consumptionquantity of the product based on the information relating to thefluctuation of the power.

An aspect of the present disclosure is a system including: a measuringdevice that acquires information relating to a fluctuation of powerconsumed by an electrical product operated around a user; and a serverthat executes obtaining the information relating to the fluctuation ofthe power from the measuring device, and estimating a product consumedby the user and a consumption quantity of the product based on theinformation relating to the fluctuation of the power.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a program that causesa computer to execute the above-described information processing method,or a computer-readable storage medium that non-temporarily stores theprogram.

According to the present disclosure, the consumption quantity of theproduct can be estimated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote likeelements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a systemaccording to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of theconfiguration of a smart plug, an EC server, and a center serverconstituting the system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration ofthe center server;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a productinformation table stored in a product information database (DB);

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of the process of ordering theproduct by a center server;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a systemaccording to a second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of respectiveconfigurations of an air purifier and an EC server configuring thesystem according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an airpurifier; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of the process of ordering theproduct by the air purifier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An information processing device that is one of the aspects of thepresent disclosure includes a control unit. The control unit acquiresinformation relating to a fluctuation of power consumed by an electricalproduct operating around a user, and estimates the product consumed bythe user and a consumption quantity of the product based on theinformation relating to the fluctuation in the power. An electricalproduct that operates around a user is a product in which an operatingstate changes based on a state of air around the user such as an airconditioner or an air purifier. As an operating state of electricalproduct changes, the power consumed by electrical product changes.Therefore, the fluctuation in the power consumed by the electricalproduct correlate with the state of the air around the user. Since thestate of the air around the user is a state corresponding to theconsumption of the product, the fluctuation of the power consumed by theelectric product is peculiar to the product.

For example, if the user smokes, the power consumption of the airpurifier increases. The fluctuation of the power consumption of this airpurifier is a fluctuation in accordance with someone smoking acigarette, and for example, the maximum value of the fluctuation amountof the power consumption, the duration of the fluctuation of the powerconsumption, or the value of the power consumption per unit time (thefluctuation amount may be a value obtained by integrating thefluctuation amount per hour), etc. has a correlation with theconsumption of cigarettes. Thus, it can be estimated that one cigaretteis consumed, based on the maximum value of the fluctuation amount of thepower consumption of the air purifier, the duration of the fluctuationof the power consumption, or the value obtained by integrating thefluctuation amount of the power consumption per unit time.

The fluctuation amount of the power consumption may be the fluctuationamount from the power consumption of the electrical product when theuser is not consuming the product. Hereinafter, the reference value ofthe power consumption of the electrical product when the user is notconsuming the product is also referred to as the reference power, andthe fluctuation amount of the power consumption is referred to as thefluctuation amount from the reference power. The reference power may bethe power consumption when the electrical product is in an idle state.

Also, for example, when cooking by using a cassette stove, thetemperature of the room rises. As a result, the air conditioner tries tolower the temperature of the room and the power consumption fluctuates.The fluctuation of the power consumption at this time corresponds to therise in the temperature of the room and correlates with the amount ofgas consumed. Thus, based on the maximum value of the fluctuation amountof the power consumption of the air conditioner, the duration of thefluctuation of the power consumption, or the value obtained byintegrating the fluctuation amount per unit time, it can be estimatedthat gas has been consumed, and the consumption quantity of gas can alsobe estimated.

In this way, since there is a correlation between the consumed productand the fluctuation of the power consumed by the electrical product, theproduct consumed by the user and the consumption quantity of the productcan be estimated based on the information relating to the fluctuation ofthe consumed power. The electrical product operating around the user maybe a product in which feedback control is performed based on a physicalquantity related to the state of air.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the drawings. The configurations of the followingembodiments are illustrative, and the present disclosure is not limitedto the configurations of the embodiments. Further, the followingembodiments can be combined as much as possible.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system 1according to a first embodiment. The system 1 includes a smart plug 10,an EC server 20, a center server 30, and an air purifier 40. The smartplug 10, the EC server 20, and the center server 30 are connected toeach other by a network N1. The smart plug 10 has a plug inserted intoan outlet provided in the user's house and an outlet into which a plugprovided in the air purifier 40 is inserted. Power is supplied to theair purifier 40 via the smart plug 10. The smart plug 10 measures thepower supplied to the air purifier 40, that is, the power consumed bythe air purifier 40. The air purifier 40 is an example of an electricalproduct that operates around the user.

The network N1 is, for example, a world-wide public communicationnetwork such as the Internet, and a wide area network (WAN) or othercommunication networks may be adopted. In addition, the network N1 mayinclude a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone networkor a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registeredtrademark). Note that FIG. 1 illustrates one smart plug 10, one ECserver 20, and one center server 30 by way of example. However, theremay be a plurality of the above.

Hardware configurations of the smart plug 10, the EC server 20, and thecenter server 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . As the airpurifier 40, an air purifier having a conventional configuration can beused. The air purifier 40 detects the degree of contamination of thesurrounding air with a sensor, and controls the rotation speed of thefan according to the degree of contamination. That is, the greater thedegree of air pollution, the higher the rotation speed of the fan, andthe more air pollution is removed per unit time. FIG. 2 is a blockdiagram schematically showing an example of the configurations of thesmart plug 10, the EC server 20, and the center server 30 configuringthe system 1 according to the present embodiment.

The center server 30 has a general computer configuration. The centerserver 30 includes a processor 31, a main storage unit 32, an auxiliarystorage unit 33, and a communication unit 34. The components above areconnected to each other by a bus. The processor 31 is an example of acontrol unit.

The processor 31 is a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signalprocessor (DSP), or the like. The processor 31 controls the centerserver 30 and performs various information processing calculations. Themain storage unit 32 is a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), or the like. The auxiliary storage unit 33 is an erasableprogrammable ROM (EPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable medium,or the like. The auxiliary storage unit 33 stores an operating system(OS), various kinds of programs, various kinds of tables, and the like.The processor 31 loads the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit33 into the work area of the main storage unit 32 and executes theprogram. Through execution of the program, each component is controlled.As a result, the center server 30 realizes the function that matches thepredetermined purpose. The main storage unit 32 and the auxiliarystorage unit 33 are computer-readable recording media. The center server30 may be a single computer or may include a plurality of computerslinked together. Further, the information stored in the auxiliarystorage unit 33 may be stored in the main storage unit 32. Further, theinformation stored in the main storage unit 32 may be stored in theauxiliary storage unit 33. In the auxiliary storage unit 33, forexample, information relating to the number of each product owned by theuser is stored.

The communication unit 34 is a means for communicating with the smartplug 10 and the EC server 20 via the network N1. The communication unit34 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) interface board or awireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The LANinterface board and the wireless communication circuit are connected tothe network N1.

The EC server 20 is a computer that conducts electronic commerce, and atleast trades products with the center server 30. The EC server 20executes a process of receiving an order for a product from the centerserver 30, and executes a process of providing the ordered product tothe user. The EC server 20 executes a process of notifying, for example,a distribution center, of a name of the product to be delivered and adelivery destination. Existing means such as a home delivery service canbe used for actual delivery. Therefore, the description thereof will beomitted. The EC server 20 includes a processor 21, a main storage unit22, an auxiliary storage unit 23, and a communication unit 24. Since theprocessor 21, the main storage unit 22, the auxiliary storage unit 23,and the communication unit 24 of the EC server 20 are the same as theprocessor 31, the main storage unit 32, the auxiliary storage unit 33,and the communication unit 34 of the center server 30, descriptionthereof will be omitted.

Next, the smart plug 10 measures the power consumption of the airpurifier 40 connected to the smart plug 10 and transmits the powerconsumption to the center server 30. In general, since the voltage isconstant in a household outlet, the current may be measured andtransmitted to the center server 30. The smart plug 10 has acommunication unit 11 and a power meter 12. The components above areconnected to each other by a bus. The power meter 12 is an example of ameasuring device.

The communication unit 11 is a communication means for connecting thesmart plug 10 to the network N1. The communication unit 11 is a circuitfor communicating with other devices (for example, the center server 30)via the network N1 using wireless communication such as a mobilecommunication service (for example, a telephone communication networksuch as the fifth generation (5G), the fourth generation (4G), the thirdgeneration (3G), and long term evolution (LTE)), Wi-Fi (registeredtrademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or radio frequencyidentification (RFID). The power meter 12 is a sensor that outputs asignal according to the power consumption of the air purifier 40. Thesmart plug 10 transmits the power consumption to the center server 30via the communication unit 11 at predetermined time intervals. Anammeter may be provided instead of the power meter 12, and the currentvalue may be transmitted to the center server 30.

Next, the function of the center server 30 will be described. FIG. 3 isa diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the centerserver 30. The center server 30 includes a control unit 301 and aproduct information database (DB) 311 as functional components. Theprocessor 31 of the center server 30 executes the process of the controlunit 301 using a computer program stored in the main storage unit 32.However, a part of the control unit 301 may be executed by a hardwarecircuit.

The product information DB 311 is constructed in a manner such that aprogram of a database management system (DBMS) executed by the processor31 manages data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 33. The productinformation DB 311 is, for example, a relational database.

By providing the smart plug 10 or the EC server 20 with a function ofthe center server 30, the center server 30 can be omitted.

The control unit 301 estimates the consumed product and the consumptionquantity of the product based on the information relating to the powerconsumption of the air purifier 40 received from the smart plug 10. Theproduct estimated to be consumed may be limited to a product registeredby the user in advance, or may be limited to a product that can beordered by the center server 30. For example, the control unit 301collates the information relating to the fluctuation of the powerconsumption received from the smart plug 10 with the informationrelating to the fluctuation of the power consumption corresponding toeach product stored in the product information DB 311 and searches for amatching product. Then, when there is a product having the samefluctuation of power consumption, it is estimated that the product hasbeen consumed. When the control unit 301 estimates the consumed product,the control unit 301 adds 1 to the consumption counter. The consumptioncounter is a counter that counts the number of times the product isconsumed. The consumption counter is set for each product.

As described above, the control unit 301 counts the number of times theproduct is consumed. When the consumption counter reaches or exceeds apredetermined value, the control unit 301 orders the product with the ECserver 20. The predetermined value may be set based on the remainingquantity of the product. For example, the predetermined value may be setsuch that the product arrives before the remaining quantity of theproduct becomes zero. Further, for example, the product may be orderedwhen the remaining quantity of the product is equal to or less than alower limit value. When placing an order based on the remaining quantityof the product, for example, the user registers an initial value of theremaining quantity of consumption in the center server 30 using aterminal. The number of products to be ordered at this time may be, forexample, the same as the number indicated by the consumption counter.Therefore, the predetermined value of the consumption counter may be setto an integral multiple of the sales unit of the product. For example,when a user consumes cigarettes, the user may order an integral multipleof a predetermined number of cigarettes in a box.

When the product is ordered, the control unit 301 transmits, to the ECserver 20, information relating to the product, information relating toan order quantity, and information relating to a shipping address. Theinformation relating to the product to be transmitted to the EC server20 is information that can identify the product, for example, a productname or a product identification (ID). The information relating to theorder quantity to be transmitted to the EC server 20 is informationrelating to the quantity of the product to be ordered at one time. Theorder quantity may be set by the user, or the consumption quantity ofthe product may be set as the order quantity. The information relatingto the shipping address to be transmitted to the EC server 20 isinformation required for delivering the product to the user. Theinformation relating to the shipping address includes, for example,information relating to the address, name, and telephone number of theuser. The user registers the information relating to the shippingaddress in the center server 30.

The control unit 301 stores the initial value of the remaining quantityof the product, the consumption counter, and the like in the productinformation DB 311. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configurationof a product information table stored in the product information DB 311.The product information DB 311 is generated for each user. The productinformation table includes fields of product ID, pre-consumptioninventory quantity, order threshold, order quantity, consumptioncounter, and the power consumption fluctuation amount. The product IDfield is a field in which identification information (product ID)corresponding to each product is input. The product ID may be assignedby the control unit 301. The pre-consumption inventory quantity field isa field in which the remaining quantity of the product before the userconsumes the product is input. The initial value of the pre-consumptioninventory quantity is input by the user, for example, via a terminal.The order threshold field is a field in which the remaining quantity ofthe product is input. The remaining quantity of the product serves as athreshold (order threshold) for ordering the product by the control unit301. The order threshold may be set by the user, or may be set by thecontrol unit 301.

The order quantity field is a field in which the quantity (orderquantity) of the product to be ordered at one time is input. The orderquantity may also be set by the user, or may be set by the control unit301. Further, the order quantity may be the same as the number indicatedby the consumption counter. The consumption counter field is a field inwhich the numerical value of the consumption counter is input. Thecontrol unit 301 updates the consumption counter field based on thefluctuation of the power consumption transmitted from the smart plug 10.

The power consumption fluctuation amount field is a field in whichinformation relating to fluctuations in the power consumption of the airpurifier 40 when the product is consumed is input. information relatingto a place where information relating to the fluctuation of the powerconsumption of the air purifier 40 when the product is consumed may bestored may be input in the power consumption fluctuation amount field.information relating to the power consumption fluctuation is learned inadvance and stored in the auxiliary storage unit 33. For example, thefluctuation of the power when each product is consumed may be obtainedin advance by an experiment, a simulation, or the like. The informationrelating to the fluctuation of the power consumption is, for example,the maximum value of the fluctuation amount of the power consumption ofthe corresponding air purifier 40 when the product is consumed from areference power, an integrated value of the fluctuation amount from thereference power, or a duration time in which the fluctuation amount fromthe reference power is equal to or more than a predetermined amount. Thepredetermined amount referred to here is, for example, a value at whichit can be determined that the power consumption has changed from thereference power. These correlate with the power consumption required toremove air pollution or odor associated with the consumption ofproducts. Since the information relating to the fluctuation of the powerconsumption differs for each product, the information is learned inadvance for each product and is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 33.

For example, when someone smokes a cigarette, the air purifier 40 triesto remove air pollution and increases the rotation speed of the fanmotor. At this time, the power consumption of the air purifier 40increases. For example, the maximum value of the fluctuation amount ofthe power consumption of the air purifier 40 when someone smokes onecigarette from the reference power, the integrated value of thefluctuation amount from the reference power, or the duration time inwhich the fluctuation amount from the reference power is equal to ormore than the predetermined amount becomes a unique value of whensomeone smokes one cigarette. Thus, if these relationships are learnedin advance and the data is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 33, theconsumption of cigarettes and the consumption quantity of cigarettes canbe estimated based on the power consumption of the air purifier 40.

The control unit 301 calculates a value obtained by subtracting theorder threshold from the pre-consumption inventory quantity as theconsumption quantity with which an order placement for the product isrequired. When the consumption counter reaches or exceeds theconsumption quantity with which the order placement is required, theorder is placed with the EC server 20 in accordance with the orderquantity. At this time, the control unit 301 transmits, to the EC server20, the product ID, the order quantity, and the shipping address. Whenthe order placement is completed, the control unit 301 updates thepre-consumption inventory quantity by inputting the total value obtainedby adding the value of the consumption counter to the order threshold tothe pre-consumption inventory quantity. After that, the control unit 301resets the consumption counter.

Next, the process of ordering the product by the center server 30 willbe described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of the process ofordering the product by the center server 30. The flowchart shown inFIG. 5 is executed by the center server 30 at predetermined timeintervals. The description will be made on assumption that, in theproduct information table, necessary information is already stored ineach of the product ID field, the pre-consumption inventory quantityfield, the order threshold field, the order quantity field, and thepower consumption fluctuation amount. Further, the description will alsobe made on assumption that the shipping address of the product is storedin the auxiliary storage unit 33 of the center server 30.

In step S101, the control unit 301 determines whether the powerconsumption has been received. When the power consumption of the airpurifier 40 changes from the reference power, the smart plug 10 maytransmit information relating to the power consumption to the centerserver 30. In this case, when the control unit 301 receives the powerconsumption, the power consumption of the air purifier 40 is increased.Alternatively, the smart plug 10 may periodically transmit the powerconsumption of the air purifier 40. At this time, the transition of thepower consumption from the time of the previous transmission of thepower consumption to the time of the current transmission may betransmitted, or an instantaneous value of the power consumption at thetime of transmission may be transmitted. In any case, the smart plug 10transmits the power consumption at intervals at which it can bedetermined that the product has been consumed based on the powerconsumption of the air purifier 40. The smart plug 10 transmits thepower consumption to the center server 30 by associating the powerconsumption with the identification information of the smart plug 10. Inthe center server 30, the identification information of the smart plug10 and the relationship with the user are registered in advance by theuser, and this relationship is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 33.When an affirmative determination is made in step S101, the processproceeds to step S102, and when a negative determination is made, theroutine is terminated.

In step S102, the control unit 301 determines whether the fluctuationamount of the power consumption corresponds to the fluctuation amount ofthe power consumption when the product is consumed. For example, thecontrol unit 301 collates the maximum value of the fluctuation amount ofthe power consumption received from the smart plug 10 with the maximumvalue of the fluctuation amount of the power consumption correspondingto each product stored in the product information DB 311 and finds amatch. Then, when there is a product having the same maximum value ofthe fluctuation amount of the power consumption, it is determined thatthe product has been consumed. When an affirmative determination is madein step S102, the process proceeds to step S103, and when a negativedetermination is made, the routine is terminated. When the powerconsumption is on the rise, it is difficult to estimate the consumedproduct since the maximum value of the fluctuation amount of the powerconsumption is not yet known. Thus, in step S102, it may be determinedwhether the product has been consumed only when the power consumptiontends to decrease.

In step S103, the control unit 301 counts up the consumption counter byadding 1 to the consumption counter. With the process above, the numberof times the product is consumed, that is, the consumption quantity ofthe product, is counted. In step S104, the control unit 301 updates theproduct information DB 311 by storing the consumption counter calculatedin step S103 in the product information DB 311.

In step S105, the control unit 301 determines whether the consumptioncounter is equal to or greater than the value obtained by subtractingthe order threshold from the pre-consumption inventory quantity. Thatis, the control unit 301 determines whether the consumption quantity ofthe product corresponding to the power consumption acquired in step S101has reached the number of times at which the order placement for theproduct is required. When an affirmative determination is made in stepS105, the process proceeds to step S106, and when a negativedetermination is made, the routine is terminated.

In step S106, the control unit 301 generates order placementinformation. The order placement information is information required fordelivering the product to the user, and is information transmitted bythe control unit 301 to the EC server 20. The order placementinformation includes information relating to the product ID, the orderquantity of the product, and the information relating to the shippingaddress of the product. The control unit 301 generates the orderplacement information based on the information stored in the auxiliarystorage unit 33. In step S107, the control unit 301 transmits the orderplacement information to the center server 30. Subsequently, in stepS108, the control unit 301 updates the product information DB 311. Atthis time, the control unit 301 resets the consumption counter, andfurther, inputs the total value obtained by adding the value ofconsumption counter to the order threshold to the pre-consumptioninventory quantity.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the centerserver 30 acquires the power consumption of the air purifier 40 detectedby the smart plug 10, estimates the consumed product based on the powerconsumption, and also estimates the consumption quantity of the product.Furthermore, the product is ordered in accordance with the consumptionquantity of the product. Therefore, the user can replenish the productat an appropriate time without management of the inventory of theproduct by the user.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system 100according to the present embodiment. A system 100 is a system in whichthe air purifier 40 estimates the consumption quantity of the productbased on the power consumption, and that places an order for the productto the EC server 20 when the consumption quantity of the product exceedsa predetermined value.

In the example of FIG. 6 , the system 100 includes the EC server 20 andthe air purifier 40. The EC server 20 and the air purifier 40 areconnected to each other by the network N1.

The hardware configuration of the air purifier 40 will be described.Since the hardware and functions of the EC server 20 are the same asthose in the first embodiment, the air purifier 40 will be mainlydescribed in the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagramschematically showing an example of each configuration of the airpurifier 40 and the EC server 20 constituting the system 100 accordingto the second embodiment. The air purifier 40 includes a processor 41, amain storage unit 42, an auxiliary storage unit 43, a communication unit44, a power meter 45, a sensor unit 46, and a fan motor 47. Thecomponents above are connected to each other by a bus. The processor 41,the main storage unit 42, and the auxiliary storage unit 43 of the airpurifier 40 are the same as the processor 31, the main storage unit 32,and the auxiliary storage unit 33 of the center server 30 described inthe first embodiment. Thus, description thereof will be omitted. Theprocessor 41 is an example of a control unit. Further, since thecommunication unit 44 and the power meter 45 of the air purifier 40 arethe same as the communication unit 11 and the power meter 12 describedin the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

The sensor unit 46 is a sensor that detects air pollution or odor. Thesensor unit 46 includes, for example, an element in which an electricalresistance changes according to the intensity of the odor. The fan motor47 is a motor that rotates the fan of the air purifier.

Next, the function of the air purifier 40 will be described. FIG. 8 is adiagram illustrating the functional configuration of the air purifier40. The air purifier 40 includes a control unit 401 and a productinformation DB 411 as functional components. The processor 41 of the airpurifier 40 executes the process of the control unit 401 using acomputer program stored in the main storage unit 42. However, a part ofthe control unit 401 may be executed by a hardware circuit.

The product information DB 411 is constructed in a manner such that aprogram of a database management system (DBMS) executed by the processor41 manages data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 43. The productinformation DB 411 is, for example, a relational database.

The control unit 401 feedback-controls the rotation speed of the fanmotor 47 in accordance with the contamination or odor of the airdetected by the sensor unit 46. A known technique can be used for thiscontrol.

Further, the control unit 401 estimates the consumption of the productbased on the power consumption of the air purifier 40 measured by thepower meter 45, and adds 1 to the consumption counter when theconsumption of the product is estimated. As described above, the controlunit 401 counts the number of times the product is consumed. When theconsumption counter reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, thecontrol unit 401 orders the product with the EC server 20. Thepredetermined value of the consumption counter may be set based on theremaining quantity of the product. For example, the predetermined valuemay be set such that the product arrives before the remaining quantityof the product becomes zero. In this case, for example, the user mayregister the initial value of the remaining quantity of the product inthe air purifier 40 by using a terminal, or an interface for inputtingthe initial value of the remaining quantity of the product in the airpurifier 40 may be provided. The same information as the productinformation DB 311 of the first embodiment is input to the productinformation DB 411. The information stored in the power consumptionfluctuation amount field may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 43in advance, or may be downloaded from the EC server 20.

The control unit 401 calculates a value obtained by subtracting theorder threshold from the pre-consumption inventory quantity as thenumber of times the product is consumed in which an order placement forthe product is required. When the consumption counter reaches or exceedsthe number of times the product is consumed with which the orderplacement is required, the order is placed with the EC server 20 inaccordance with the order quantity. At this time, the control unit 401transmits, to the EC server 20, the product ID, the order quantity, andthe shipping address. The shipping address is stored in the air purifier40 in advance by the user. When the order placement is completed, thecontrol unit 401 updates the pre-consumption inventory quantity byinputting the total value obtained by adding the value of theconsumption counter to the order threshold to the pre-consumptioninventory quantity. The control unit 401 resets the consumption counter.

Next, the process of ordering the product by the air purifier 40 will bedescribed. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of the process ofordering the product by the air purifier 40. The flowchart shown in FIG.9 is executed by the air purifier 40 at predetermined time intervals.The description will be made on assumption that, in the productinformation table, necessary information is already stored in each ofthe product ID field, the pre-consumption inventory quantity field, theorder threshold field, the order quantity field, and the powerconsumption fluctuation amount. Further, the description will also bemade on assumption that the shipping address of the product is stored inthe auxiliary storage unit 43 of the air purifier 40.

In step S201, the control unit 401 acquires the power consumption fromthe power meter 45. In step S202, the control unit 401 determineswhether the product has been consumed. The maximum value of thefluctuation amount is extracted from the power consumption acquired instep S201, and this maximum value is compared with the maximum value ofthe fluctuation amount of the power consumption stored in the powerconsumption fluctuation amount field of the product information DB 411,and the product that has the same maximum value of the fluctuationamount of the power consumption is searched. As a result, it isdetermined whether the product has been consumed. When an affirmativedetermination is made in step S202, the process proceeds to step S203,and when a negative determination is made, the routine is terminated.

In step S203, the control unit 401 counts up the consumption counter byadding 1 to the consumption counter. With the process above, the numberof times the product is consumed, that is, the consumption quantity ofthe product, is counted. In step S204, the control unit 401 updates theproduct information DB 411 by storing the consumption counter calculatedin step S203 in the product information DB 411.

In step S205, the control unit 401 determines whether the consumptioncounter is equal to or greater than the value obtained by subtractingthe order threshold from the pre-consumption inventory quantity. Thatis, the control unit 401 determines whether the consumption quantity ofthe product corresponding to the power consumption acquired in step S201has reached the number of times at which the order placement for theproduct is required. When an affirmative determination is made in stepS205, the process proceeds to step S206, and when a negativedetermination is made, the routine is terminated.

In step S206, the control unit 401 generates order placementinformation. The order placement information is information required fordelivering the product to the user, and is information transmitted bythe control unit 401 to the EC server 20. The order placementinformation includes information relating to the product ID, the orderquantity of the product, and the information relating to the shippingaddress of the product. The control unit 401 generates the orderplacement information based on the information stored in the auxiliarystorage unit 43. In step S207, the control unit 401 transmits the orderplacement information to the center server 30.

Subsequently, in step S208, the control unit 401 updates the productinformation DB 411. At this time, the control unit 401 resets theconsumption counter, and further, inputs the total value obtained byadding the value of consumption counter to the order threshold to thepre-consumption inventory quantity.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the consumptionquantity of the product can be estimated based on the power consumptionof the air purifier 40, and the product can be ordered according to theconsumption quantity of the product. Therefore, the user can replenishthe product at an appropriate time without management of the inventoryof the product by the user.

Other Embodiments

The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the presentdisclosure may be appropriately modified and implemented withoutdeparting from the scope thereof.

The processes and means described in the present disclosure can befreely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradictionoccurs.

Further, the processes described as being executed by one device may beshared and executed by a plurality of devices. Alternatively, theprocesses described as being executed by different devices may beexecuted by one device. In the computer system, it is possible toflexibly change the hardware configuration (server configuration) forrealizing each function. For example, a part or all of the functions ofthe center server 30 may be provided in the smart plug 10 or the ECserver 20. Further, for example, a part or all of the functions of thesmart plug 10 may be provided in the air purifier 40.

Further, in the above embodiment, the consumed product is estimated andthe consumption quantity of the product is estimated based on the powerconsumption of the air purifier 40. However, not limited to the airpurifier 40, the consumed product and the consumption quantity of theproduct may be estimated based on the power consumption of otherelectric products in which the power consumption changes according tothe state of the air. For example, the consumed products can beestimated based on the power consumption of the air conditioner. Forexample, when a gas stove that uses a gas cylinder is used, thetemperature of the room rises according to the consumption of gas. Thus,in the air conditioner, the rotation speed of the motor that rotates thefan and the motor that rotates the pump in order to lower thetemperature of the room is increased. This increases power consumption.The fluctuation amount in power consumption at this time correlates withthe consumption of the gas filled in the gas cylinder. Therefore, it ispossible to estimate the consumption of gas and estimate the gasconsumption quantity based on the fluctuation amount of the powerconsumption of the air conditioner from the reference power.

Further, in the above embodiment, the number of times the product isconsumed is counted as the consumption quantity of the product. However,there are some products that cannot be consumed in one time of usage.For example, in the case of the above gas cylinder, not all the gas inthe gas cylinder is consumed in one use. Thus, for example, the gasconsumption quantity may be estimated based on the time during which thegas is used. That is, when the use of gas is estimated, the consumptionquantity of gas may be estimated based on the duration thereof. Then,the control unit 301 orders the gas when the consumption quantity of thegas exceeds a predetermined amount.

The present disclosure can also be implemented by supplying a computerwith a computer program that implements the functions described in theabove embodiments, and causing one or more processors of the computer toread and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided tothe computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumconnectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to thecomputer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium is, for example, a disc of any type such as a magnetic disc(floppy (registered trademark) disc, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), anoptical disc (compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatiledisc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, etc.), a read only memory (ROM), a randomaccess memory (RAM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM),an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), amagnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, and any type of mediumsuitable for storing electronic commands.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing device comprising aprocessor configured to: communicate with an electrical product operatedaround a user via a network, the electrical product including acontroller, a sensor and a fan motor, the controller controlling arotation speed of the fan motor based on air quality of air detected bythe sensor; acquire information, via a measuring device, relating to afluctuation of power consumed by the fan motor of the electricalproduct; determine a product consumed by the user and a consumed amountof the product based on the information relating to the fluctuation ofthe power, the fluctuation of the power correlating with the air qualityaround the user, the air quality correlating with the product consumedby the user and the consumed amount of the product; calculate aremaining amount of the product based on the determined consumed amountof the product; and order the product when the calculated remainingamount of the product is equal to or less than a threshold at which theproduct is ordered.
 2. The information processing device according toclaim 1, wherein the processor is configured to acquire a fluctuationamount from power consumed when the electrical product is in an idlestate as the information relating to the fluctuation of the power. 3.The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured to determine the product consumed by the user bycollating the information relating to the fluctuation of the power withstored data.
 4. The information processing device according to claim 1,wherein the processor is configured to determine the product consumed bythe user based on a maximum value of a fluctuation amount of a powerconsumption of the electrical product from power consumed when theelectrical product is in an idle state.
 5. The information processingdevice according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit forstoring a relationship between the information relating to thefluctuation of the power and the product consumed by the user, whereinthe processor is configured to determine the product consumed by theuser based on the information relating to the fluctuation of the powerand the relationship stored in the storage unit.
 6. The informationprocessing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to determine the consumed amount of the product based on thenumber of times the user is estimated to have consumed the product. 7.An information processing method comprising executing a process by acomputer, the process including: communicating with an electricalproduct operated around a user via a network, the electrical productincluding a controller, a sensor and a fan motor, the controllercontrolling a rotation speed of the fan motor based on air quality ofair detected by the sensor; acquiring information, via a measuringdevice, relating to a fluctuation of power consumed by the fan motor ofthe electrical product; determining a product consumed by the user and aconsumed amount of the product based on the information relating to thefluctuation of the power, the fluctuation of the power correlating withthe air quality around the user that correlates with the productconsumed by the user and the consumed amount of the product; calculatinga remaining amount of the product based on the determined consumedamount of the product; and ordering the product when the calculatedremaining amount of the product is equal to or less than a threshold atwhich the product is ordered.
 8. The information processing methodaccording to claim 7, wherein the process includes acquiring afluctuation amount from power consumed when the electrical product is inan idle state as the information relating to the fluctuation of thepower.
 9. The information processing method according to claim 7,wherein the process includes determining the product consumed by theuser by collating the information relating to the fluctuation of thepower with stored data.
 10. The information processing method accordingto claim 7, wherein the process includes determining the productconsumed by the user based on a maximum value of a fluctuation amount ofa power consumption of the electrical product from power consumed whenthe electrical product is in an idle state.
 11. The informationprocessing method according to claim 7, wherein the process includesdetermining the product consumed by the user based on the informationrelating to the fluctuation of the power, and a relationship between theinformation relating to the fluctuation of the power and the productconsumed by the user, in which the relationship is stored in a storageunit.
 12. The information processing method according to claim 7,wherein the process includes determining the consumed amount of theproduct based on the number of times the user is estimated to haveconsumed the product.
 13. A system comprising: a measuring device thatacquires information relating to a fluctuation of power consumed by afan motor of an electrical product operated around a user, theelectrical product including a controller, a sensor and the fan motor,the controller controlling a rotation speed of the fan motor based onair quality of air detected by the sensor; and a server that executescommunicating with the measuring device via a network, obtaining theinformation relating to the fluctuation of the power from the measuringdevice, determining a product consumed by the user and a consumed amountof the product based on the information relating to the fluctuation ofthe power, the fluctuation of the power correlating with the air qualityaround the user, the air quality correlating with the product consumedby the user and the consumed amount of the product, calculating aremaining amount of the product based on the determined consumed amountof the product, and ordering the product when the calculated remainingamount of the product is equal to or less than a threshold at which theproduct is ordered.
 14. The information processing device according toclaim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: communicate with asmart plug that measures the power supplied to the electrical productvia the network; and acquire a power consumed by the electrical product,as the information relating to the fluctuation of power, from the smartplug.
 15. The information processing device according to claim 1,wherein: the electrical product is an air purifier; and the product is acigarette.
 16. The information processing device according to claim 1,wherein: the electrical product is an air conditioner; and the productis a gas.
 17. The information processing device according to claim 1,wherein the information relating to the fluctuation of the powerindicates a maximum value of a fluctuation amount of a powerconsumption, a duration of the fluctuation of the power consumption, anda value of the power consumption per unit time.
 18. The informationprocessing device according to claim 4, wherein the processor isconfigured to: determine whether the power consumption tends todecrease; and when the processor determines that the power consumptiontends to decrease, determine the product consumed by the user based onthe maximum value of the fluctuation amount of the power consumption.